Shades of Gray
by Holix
Summary: After a rather violent crash landing, a young owl finds herself on Angel Island. With Knuckles, and amnesia. They don't know it yet, but they're both in for a wild ride, trying to figure out just who she is... KnucklesXOC


By the way, the first paragraph-and-a-half make little to no sense, so bear with me for a moment, as it will all be cleared up quickly, as is the style of this beginning.

--My friend Made Me Write this--

There is no right without wrong, no wrong without right. No good without bad, and no bad without good. There wasn't even a light without dark, and most definitely no dark without light. That's what her parents had always said, anyway.

But it wasn't really looking like that right now. Right now, it was just looking like bad, dark, and as she thought about it, maybe even a little right. Just because it was right didn't mean it was good and light, of course. A sudden lightning bolt brought her out of her own little world. Now, of all places, was not the time to be getting lost in thought. She cursed herself for her stupid impulse. Why, of all things, did she want to go flying this late a night? Of course, the development of this rather vicious thunderstorm hadn't helped much.

The saturated black and white owl rubbed at the lenses of her glasses. Curse this near-sighted-ness. She felt as though she'd been flying for hours. In fact, part of her thought she really may have been. She rubbed her glasses again, this time, with disbelief. An island? Was she just seeing things? No, it was there, she was sure. Sudden winds blew her off her new-set course. The strong winds continued to blow against her port side. She flapped her wings desperately as the winds changed direction against her. Furiously, she fought the headwinds, only managing to slowly inch forward.

Almost there! Not even two hundred yards, and she'd be there. She dived down, hoping to escape the harsh headwinds. The island was maybe a hundred yards below her. She dived in a steep angle, flapping her wings until she could feel herself hit her breaking point. She could feel the headwinds begin to dissipate as she tucked her wings against her sleek body, the outside edges of her vision beginning to blacken.

'_Ah, land, you never looked so beautiful…' _She could feel herself slipping away, a smile spreading serenely over her face, her eyes closing gently._ 'No! I can't fall asleep now!' _The sopping wet owl snapped her eyes open and forced her wings open as wide as they would expand in a last ditch effort to slow her alarming decent.

Too late, too slow. She could see the ground come rushing up to meet her. '_Hello, angel.' _Sweet, sweet blackness came to release her from the pulse-pounding terror her brain and heart were going through.

~~Come, sweet morning~~

Intense, blinding light and pain hit Tala upon her waking moment. She gasped, sucking in a breath of pain. She snapped her eyes open, feeling her right arm curiously restrained.

Bandages?

She looked around, seeing lush, green forestry around her from her position on the floor. Wherever she was, someone had tended to her. But why leave her lying on the floor? Tenderly, she pushed her sore body into a sitting position using her left arm. Twisting around, she spotted a large gazebo-like structure with an enormous emerald resting squarely in the middle. On top of that emerald laid a sleeping, red… something. She searched around, spotting her glasses only a few inches from her hand. She swiped them off the cool grass, wiping them off quickly and sliding them onto the bridge of her beak.

He was an Echidna.

Tala ground her beak shyly; he was a very _handsome_ Echidna. Clearing her throat, she shook her head to clear her mind of the useless thought. Immediately, she discovered just how much of a bad idea that had been as she flung her wings over her head, feeling as though her brain might explode from the pressure.

"I guess you've noticed, but you hit your head during your crash landing," a gruff, sleep riddled voice told her. Tala looked up, finding a rather rugged looking Echidna staring her down.

"Hi," she winced at the loudness of her own voice. The Echidna sat down opposite her, deciding that trying to stand her up while she looked so light-headed was a bad idea.

"Knuckles," he said, nodding.

Tala smiled slightly, lowering her wings, "Tala," she said quietly, the sound of her voice ringing painfully in her head.

"You've got a concussion," Knuckles clarified, earning a nod from Tala. She'd figured that much already. "And, your wing's broken. You won't be able to fly for a while."

Tala nodded again, "where am I?"

The Echidna blinked, looking at her as though that was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard, "you're on Angel Island, home of the Master Emerald." Tala blinked slowly as it hit her. This was _Knuckles_. The Knuckles. And she was speaking to him. This was the same Echidna who'd played a big role in saving the world several times over. _Saving the world._ Several times over! She repressed a smile.

"Oh," she concluded lamely. But she couldn't blame herself, for having a concussion was bound to do _something_ to ones thinking process. A second or two of awkward silence passed between the two. "How long do you think I'll be out of commission for?" Tala asked Knuckles, gesturing her bandaged wing toward him.

He shrugged.

Tala sighed. He really wasn't much for conversation, was he? No matter, she figured. She just had to find some sort of common ground, that's all. Distantly, her ears picked up the sound of… a jet? She blinked and turned her head around, spotting a fast-approaching jet. After a moment she remembered who she was with. Then it struck her that this could be unfriendly contact they were about to have. She turned back to Knuckles, who was staring intently at the jet. He grunted and glanced at her, "we'll be fine. Just bombarded with stupid for a while." Tala blinked slowly at Knuckles.

… Bombarded with stupid?

The jet set down, it's engines blowing the lush, emerald grass every which way. Then, three very distinct shapes emerged. Two were fast, clearly excited. The last, who appeared to be the middle sized being, wasn't slow… but just concise. Methodical… patient? The red chameleon certainly gave off a better impression than the little bee and the large, green crocodile running excitedly toward Knuckles, who looked less than pleased. "Charmy, if you-" Knuckles started as the twosome neared.

But it was too late, as the little yellow bee, who she took to be Charmy, tackled him over with a cry of, "KNUCKLES!" The green crocodile laughed.

Knuckles groaned, "Charmy, get off." Grinning, Charmy did as commanded, sliding of the Echidna. The red chameleon walked calmly onto the scene. Knuckles glanced at him, "Espio, what are you three doing here?"

The red chameleon sighed, "Charmy and Vector wanted to visit." Knuckles grunted.

Vector blew a bubble and pointed to Tala. "Hey Knux, whose the babe? You got a girlfriend and didn't tell us?" he joked, bobbing his head a little to some unheard music that was likely pumping through his headphones. Tala almost gaped, but managed to just look… surprised. Knuckles wasn't as restrained.

He flailed angrily, "s-she's not my girlfriend! She just crashed into my island last night and broke her wing, so I bandaged her up!" He huffed and crossed his arms, "I'm sending her back to wherever she lives today."

Espio nodded, Charmy blinked, and Vector enjoyed poking fun at the flustered Echidna. He laughed, "uh-huh, sure. I suppose you two were up all night playing doctor." Tala flushed a little, not sure if he meant it to sound so… dirty. He did.

Knuckles groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Vector… we. Are not. Boyfriend and girlfriend. I barely know her _name._" He stressed, glaring.

Vector grinned. He would tease Knuckles for a bit longer before letting it go, "wow, you work fast, huh?" Knuckles fist tightened, about ready to snap. Espio nudged Vector, spotting it. The Echidna wasn't too terribly good with his temper. The three glared at each other in turn.

Charmy floated over to Tala and plopped down next to her, extending a hand, "hi! I'm Charmy! Nice to meet you!"

Tala blinked and shook his hand, "Tala." She glanced at the glare-off in progress, "should we do something about them…?" She glanced back at Charmy, who laughed.

"Nah, they're fine. Vector just likes to tease Knuckles a lot. Espio will make sure everything's okay." He grinned, " so, where're you from?"

Tala looked over the edge of the island quizzically, taking in the shining, blue-green that was the sea, "my memories a little fuzzy because of the crash, so I can't really remember the name of it right now…" She ground her beak. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she probably had a case of mild, or maybe even moderate, amnesia. She glanced over at Charmy, who looked a little concerned. She smiled, "Don't worry, it'll clear up in a day or two, then I'll be fine." Charmy smiled and nodded, taking her word for it. In reality, she had no idea if the amnesia would ever clear up… vaguely, she hoped her friends and family, whose names and faces still eluded her, wouldn't be panicking too much…

Espio broke the glare-fest to take a step towards Tala, "you say you can't remember where you're from?" Tala blinked, he'd been listening? She shook her head slightly. It didn't hurt nearly as much as the first time. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. Vector and Knuckles stopped their manly glare off to stand next to Espio, watching her carefully; all three of them seemed to be thinking intently. Tala glanced at Charmy and fidgeted. It was kind of awkward having four different guys you didn't know stare intensely at you. Espio spoke up after a moment, "clearly, you must have some form of amnesia from the crash…" Tala blinked as he stated the obvious.

Vector slapped Knuckles on the back, "congrats! You get to spend more time together!"

Knuckles sent Vector a short death-glare, "how am I supposed to figure out where she lives if _she_ can't even remember?" He addressed the problem to no one in particular.

Espio crossed his arms, thinking the situation through, "do you remember anyone that you know? Friends, family, classmates, workmates?"

Tala glanced up at the level-headed chameleon, "no."

Espio shrugged and bit his lip, "all we can do is hope she remembers. Or, someone puts out a missing person's advertisement. We could put one out of our own." He glanced down at Tala, "do you remember anything else? Your full name, perhaps?"

Tala stared at the grass, trying to recall her last name… she got nothing. She sighed, not bothering to look up, "no, just my first name. Tala. Other than that, I don't think I remember anything useful." The group remained silent for a moment.

Until Charmy jumped onto Tala, startling her, "looks like Knuckles has to learn how to be nice!" He grinned, "cuz' it's not like you're allowed to be mean to girls!" He laughed, addressing Tala, "you teach Knuckles how to be nice, okay? He's really bad at it." Tala bit back a laugh. Charmy was really a cute kid.

Knuckles didn't find any humor in Charmy's declaration. "Why do _I_ have to take care of her," he demanded. It wasn't that he didn't like her, as far as he could tell, but… he would have preferred to be the one to say who stayed and who went on his precious island. Not some annoying bee kid.

Espio sighed, "because, Knuckles, you're the one who found her." He shrugged his shoulder, "who else could take her anyway?"

Knuckles blinked, "you could."

Espio shook his head, "we're constantly away on missions. Besides, " he leaned closer to Knuckles, "would you trust a battered and broken girl with amnesia to be taken care of by Charmy and Vector?"

Knuckles paled at the thought, "right… but what about someone else? Sonic, Tails, Amy…" he tried to think of anyone else.

Espio blinked, "tails is just a kid, Amy would tie her up and give her makeover after makeover, and sonic…" he trailed off for a bit. "Sonic wouldn't be much help." Knuckles sighed. Espio continued on, "besides, Angel island is a calming place, it might help her remember."

Knuckles nodded begrudgingly, "fine."

Vector grinned, addressing Tala, "treat our boy nice now; he's delicate." Knuckles smacked Vector, who lurched forward slightly, rubbing the back of his head, "ow… he's just ashamed to admit it." His grin returned.

Knuckles groaned, "can you three just go already…?"

Espio blinked calmly, "fair enough." He turned to leave, "I don't see a reason to stay any longer." Charmy hugged Tala, saying goodbye before turning to Knuckles and tackling him over.

Vector sniggered, "eager to get some alone time, huh?" He scampered off before Knuckles could shove Charmy off and begin to chase him.

Tala watched as Charmy climbed into the cockpit, getting read to take off after giving a last, energetic wave. Tala waved back weakly. Knuckles glared. As the jet lifted off, Knuckles let out an annoyed sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Tala watched him quietly, "If you don't want me here, I can go. I'll be fine."

Knuckles looked down at her. He sighed, "no, stay here. Having you wander around with no safe place to stay isn't exactly a good idea, especially in your state."

Tala nodded, relieved. While she'd offered to leave, she knew she didn't want to. It struck her as a very bad idea… silent reigned between the two of them for an awkward moment. He really wasn't a social butterfly, was he? Knuckles watched her for a moment longer. From what he could tell, Tala seemed to be decently smart. So, why would she offer to leave when she must know how bad of an idea that would be? He was tempted to ask, but he kept silent, choosing instead to study her a little more.

Tala turned, letting herself stare off over the ocean absently. After a few moments, she blinked, unable to shake the feeling someone was watching her. She turned and glanced back at Knuckles, who was still watching her carefully. Tala resisted the urge to sputter and blush. Instead, she blinked slowly and raised an eyebrow, "did you need something, Knuckles?"

Knuckles' hand twitched, her words bringing her out of his musings. He shook his head, "no," before turning and walking back to the Master Emerald. He clambered back onto it and laid on his back, closing his eyes. He pressed his lips into a thin line. Hopefully, she wasn't the type to invite herself over here and start asking a million questions like everyone else did. He wasn't sure he could stand living with a personal fantard or worshipper, even if she needed to stay in a safe place -like Angel Island…

~*~*Later*~*~

Knuckles stretched opened his eyes to see the top of the gazebo. He yawned, pleased with his short nap. He glanced over where the sun was just starting the process of setting. It was around four or five. His mouth twitched. It had been more than three hours, and she hadn't even so much as looked at him, he figured. Somewhere, in the recesses of his mind, his curiosity had been peaked. He turned to his side, spotting the owl-girl in question. The warm light of the sun outlined her black and white figure.

Tala was sitting, propped up against a rock as she stared out over the ocean. For at least an hour, she tried everything she could think of to try and remember anything useful. After that… well, she'd sort of half-way given up, allowing herself to space. Anything to pass the time, really. Currently, she was spacing, oblivious to Knuckles' examining stare.

Knuckles watched her for a few more seconds, taking in her outline against the sun as she sat up. It took him a moment to realize what he was doing. He was _checking her out_! he realized. Shocked, he sputtered, flailing a little until he accidentally fell off the Master Emerald with a heavy 'thud.'

Tala jumped, hearing the 'thud' noise. She got up and walked quickly to Knuckles, who was still lying flat on his back. She blinked and leaned over him, "Knuckles…? Are you alright?"

Knuckles coughed and sat up, so he didn't have to face her. He was a little embarrassed… "I'm fine," he stated gruffly.

Tala blinked, "o…kay…" Her eyebrows furrowed at his reaction. What was with him?

Knuckles nodded gruffly and got up quickly. A little too quickly. His foot slipped, and he fell, managing to turn around so that, as he knocked Tala over, he was facing toward her. Tala flailed a little as he knocked her over. Landing hard, she groaned, "… ow…" She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them.

Only to find out that he was right… there. He flushed. She flushed. Their faces weren't much more than an inch apart. "Uhh…" She glanced down slightly. Knuckles left hand was right next to her neck, and his right pinned her unharmed, left shoulder. She swallowed and slowly, very slowly, brought her eyes up to stare into his. Oh, great… he had really pretty eye- NOT HELPING! Her mind screamed at her.

Knuckles swallowed hard, following her gaze to realize that he was indeed pinning her left shoulder. "Err…" He lifted his hand off her shoulder jerkily, placing it, instead in the space between her arm and ribcage. Tala propped herself up on her left forearm slightly, drawing her right knee up a little. Now, their faces were at about the same height, but no farther apart. Knuckles gulped, realizing that he wanted to do… stuff. Stuff he shouldn't be doing.

Especially with a girl who he barely knew, who had amnesia nonetheless. But… he still wanted to. He leaned a little bit closer, so that their foreheads touched. In the very least, he wanted to make sure they both wanted it.

Tala's brain had officially flat lined when Knuckles forehead touched hers. Her eyes widened even more, if such a thing was possible at this point, and her glasses slipped down her beak a little. Oooohhhh man… she wanted this. That wasn't good… right? The forehead touch had to mean _something,_ though… She leaned her face a millimeter or two closer. Knuckles took that as a yes, and closed the gap.

Tala sat up a little, and Knuckles took the opportunity to wrap his left arms around her waist a little, pulling her slightly closer. She moved her legs, having trouble finding some kind of reasonably comfortable position. Knuckles wrapped his free arm under her legs and lifted her onto his lap, taking a second to just kind of hold her there, suspended in the air as he took a moment to cross his legs in rather manly display of upper arm strength. Tala's eyes snapped open. She hadn't exactly been expecting that… After a moment, she closed her eyes again.

Knuckles pulled her closer again, accidentally making her loose her balance. Tala flailed lightly, as she knocked the two over- only, this time, she was on top. "Oof!" She landed on his chest and groaned. She opened her eyes to stare at his… chin, basically. She rolled off him and sat up, back toward him. Knuckles blinked a few times, staring at the sky. Well… that had been…uhm… yeeeaaahh…

Tala opened and closed her mouth a few times, anything mildly intelligent had yet to come to her. "Well… I-I guess… okay…" She mumbled slightly, flushed, but still not facing him.

Knuckles wasn't doing much better, "uh… Yeah…guess so?" he suggested weakly.

Tala nodded quietly. Really, there wasn't anything else you could do (that was a good idea) in a situation like this… She stood up, "so, uhm, yeah… I'll be… over there…" She walked off a little, not entirely sure if what she just did would sink in for another few minutes… Knuckles watched her go. He sat up and glanced at the master Emerald… He glanced at the sun, which was getting lower in the sky already. They'd wasted at least five minutes there, with their awkward… yeah. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, screwing his eyes shut.

Maybe everything will be better tomorrow, they figured…

~*~*Hurray!*~*~

Alright! How did you like it? To be honest it went too fast I think, but… eh. Awkwardness is always fun. Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Well then, there's only one thing you can do…

R&R!


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